Kingdom Hearts: Lost in a Lifetime
by anxious.birb
Summary: In a world where only few chosen by the Goddess are gifted with the ability to reincarnate; a boy named Sora is thrust into the destiny of The Prophecy where he must aid the Catalyst in freeing the Nobodies from their lock in time- and evade the talons of Xehanort who plans on using Riku to obtain passage to the Island of Rebirth, so that he might rule the space between dreams.


_**Verse One: Light**_

 _Lost in the waves of a distant sun,  
But a boy will stand against a canopy of encroaching darkness and liberate the Island from its frozen clock…  
Strings of fate tie those who would seem worlds away;  
And a hand plucks at the fragile balance of a misunderstood peace. _

Chapter I

 _Subdued snickering slips past the bounds of folded hands that stay over a grinning mouth, playful teal eyes gazing towards the huddled form of little boy who remained cast in the shadow of church pew while the frustrated pastor stormed past and created an echo across ancient wooden walls, Riku's knees hugged tight against his chest while he sat directly next to the other child who nearly couldn't hold in a bubbly stream of giggles._

" _You really got him good!" Riku congratulated in an excited hush, the pale silver of messy locks falling over his nose before a soft tilt of the head made them fall back into place, a small smirk tugging at the young man's lips as he kept an ear cautious to the sounds of the stomping adult._

" _I know, right? I-"_

 _A small yelp escaped the boy's lips when a hand covered in ink grasped and hauled his body out from under the large seat, Riku gasping in surprise before rushing to grab hold of one the limbs that flailed and thrashed dangerously close to his face, grimacing in effort as small arms struggled against the force of the Pastor's strength._

" _Give him back!"_

" _Riku, let_ ** _go_** _of Sora-"_

" _You'll make him sit_ ** _alone_** _if I do!"_

 _The weight of Pastor Eraqus's pulling fell away gently when Sora tumbled shortly to the ground and crawled behind his best friend in a desperate rush, Riku's naive eyes looking back towards the smaller boy when he felt soft hands resting on his upper arm, their gazes meeting only a moment before a weary sigh from above the church pew sent them both into a nervous silence._

 _The creak of Eraqus sitting himself down upon the seat next to the children's horrible hiding spot made Riku jump slightly, but he soon felt out of imminent trouble when the older man took in a deep breath to speak and rested weathered hands in the visibility of the boy's view, a small blossom of compassion helping urge small fingers to reach out and hold onto the ones before him._

" _I care for you as if you were my own sons, and not even a small bit of ink will change that." Eraqus began, a moment of silence washing over the room as the father figure collected his words in careful compassion, Sora looking towards Riku while following suit of what the other boy had done, the Pastor squeezing the young hands that now held his own in reassurance. "Now come, dinner's nearly ready, and I need help setting the table."_

 _A guiding gait lead the two out of hiding and into the warm sunlight of the church's main atrium, Riku looking towards the older man with surprise as he knelt before the two with a patient smile and a calloused hand ruffled the pale hair on his head, all shock transitioning into embarrassment as Eraqus' familiar laughter sparked from the newly ruffled state of his smooth locks._

" _It's not funny.." Riku grumbled in a pout, teal eyes averted to the ground while Sora began to copy what their mentor was doing in cheerful curiosity; a reluctant gaze turning towards the man before himself when a tap on the shoulder was attempted to grab his attention._

" _One day, Riku; little things like hair won't matter. Things such as friendships and keeping those bonds close will remain truly important. Protect Sora, watch over him and make sure he stays out of trouble- especially with those pranks of his."_

 _Determination dawned on Riku's features as he gave Pastor Eraqus a hopeful nod, his eyes following their teacher's form as he stood slowly and in obvious pain, a curious brow creasing into naive worry as he took their small hands to guide the two towards the dining hall, the falling of their feet against weathered floorboards transitioning away into a silence brought by the rising awareness of consciousness._

The subtle bliss of dreams crashed away when exhausted eyes fluttered open and the smell of seafoam washed its way into every one of Riku's senses, the teen grumbling before turning his head to gaze at Sora's slumbering form in that same age old curiosity, a smirk tugging at dry lips as the other teen's snores echoed into the peaceful nighttime.

" _Eraqus... am I doing enough?_ "

Though the weight of the lack of answers from the man who was nearly his father never became a lighter burden to bear, a weary breath rolling off his lips in a chilled cloud as the dawn of morning pressed past the horizon of a sleeping world, Riku sitting up stiffly and stretching out sand covered arms towards the sky of fading stars.

Shifting into a crouch and bringing his arms carefully under Sora's lithe form, Riku stood with a small exhale of exertion as sunlight began to warm the sand pressed into indents under a heavy foot, the structure of the old church catching glints against ancient stained glass that were formed with the visages of _the Prophecy_ ; a pattern bursting to life against the building's garden when light passed the key etched against the clock tower glass.

"Riku…?"

"You've got a big day, Sora. Try and get more sleep."

"Big day..?"

"Just sleep, you goofball."

How many summers had Riku brought Sora up the steps like this? The pattern of this happenstance gave the teen a sliver of comfort as he nudged the rickety doors to church open with a sand-covered shoulder, the ethereal stillness of the atrium reminding him of the countless hours of lessons from Eraqus and the care he had given the two of them, teal eyes glancing over at the seat where the mentor that had been missing for two years used to sit often.

Shaking off the lingering emotion of abandonment, the young man turned his attention away from the old pew and back towards his best friend who slept gently in his arms, the security of their small room encompassing Riku as he placed Sora gently on the bed adorned with sheets decorated by a pattern of drawn stars, the other teen's hectic brown locks falling over the peaceful features of his face not seconds after his head hit the pillow.

"Sleep well, Sora." He wished in a whisper before turning to walk out of the bedroom, calloused hands carefully closing the old door but halting immediately when the hinges creaked loudly, teal eyes flicking towards his friend who- with great relief- remained sleeping as heavily as a stone, Riku shutting the door the rest of the way and retreating back to face the difficulty of memories from before, the church having never been the same without the presence of the Pastor.

"Why did you have to leave?"

 _The loud sound of wooden training weapons cracking against one another filtered through the thrum of a hammering heart in Riku's ears, vibrant eyes dancing over the calm features of Eraqus for a hint of the next attack while stinging fingers gripped the hilt of a wooden staff in intensity, the boy's aching arms trembling while he stood his ground in front of the seasoned warrior._

" _As a guardian to the Prophecy and a Keyblade Wielder, you must assess the weakness of each opponent, no matter how small. When you look at me, what flaw do you see?"_

 _The boy looked towards his teacher with eyebrows creased in confusion, small fingers loosening their grasp upon the training implement when the Pastor requested him to find a flaw; a tarnish against the perfect canvas of his protector, and he shook his head when even trying to ponder on a single problem with the man he admired so much._

" _I don't think you have one…"_

 _A warm laugh from Eraqus turned Riku sheepish while the midday sun beat down upon them on the sands of the shore, the Pastor placing the staff he held harshly into the soil before stepping over to kneel in front of his student with a small grimace of pain, teal eyes looking towards his teacher's left leg in concern but reverting his attention back to the words the older man spoke._

" _Everyone has flaws, Riku. As human beings, we accept these flaws and understand that they make us who we are, even if those traits are hard to comprehend or accept. If you ever meet someone who opposes everything you stand for, don't be quick to be rid of him- give him a place at your table and hear his end of the story. You may very well learn a valuable life lesson."_

 _Riku nodded at his teacher's words but nonetheless continued to ponder on the training goal, Eraqus noticing his student's questioning look and reached a hand out to pat the top of the boy's head while transitioning into a standing position slowly, small palms pushing up against the teacher's elbows so that he might rise to his feet easier._

" _As you can tell; my fault is my left leg. Strike me there, and you will surely win."_

" _But that would hurt you, Pastor Eraqus!" Riku replied in a sudden and baffled exclamation, emotional eyes following the older man as he retrieved his weapon from the sand, the boy following suit albeit reluctantly and in unease._

" _In the Prophecy, it is foretold that the boy who stands against darkness will face a foe who was once a friend, and a befriend someone who previously held ill intent. Just like the boy, you must shield yourself from the reality of betrayal- just as I have, and so many others. For the sake of this training, I am the only thing standing between you and Sora who is hurt, and I will not let you pass unless you defeat me in battle."_

 _The words of Eraqus sent a shiver down the child's spine as the figurative stakes had been lifted beyond a point of idle resistance, the teacher's ebony eyes looking towards Riku as the boy's small form bull rushed forward on the sand, a sneakered foot sidestepping to allow a distraction while a trembling hand brought a fistfull of sand into the direction of the Pastor's vision, dirtied hands hurriedly bringing the staff in his free grasp down upon the older man's weak leg and stumbling back when he witness his father figure crumple to the ground in pained laughter._

" _V-very good, Riku!"_

" _Stop laughing- it's not funny!"_

 _Anxious tears spilled down the child's cheeks as he flopped down on the ground beside the teacher who had ceased all laughter when seeing Riku's scared crying, Eraqus sitting himself up and quickly pulling the boy into a comforting embrace to attempt in calming the fearful flame that he had set ablaze by accident._

" _Shh, it's alright… I didn't mean to scare you, Riku. That was my last intention."_

" _But- but what if I couldn't save you, or Sora?"_

 _Eraqus's knowing eyes closed briefly to recollect on the mistakes of his own past and took in a deep breath, a weathered hand holding the back of Riku's head of messy hair as the child hiccuped into his shoulder in worry, small fingers balled into frightened fists as the Pastor continued to hug his student close._

" _You did fine, Riku. Had I been a real enemy, you would have halted me long enough to get Sora to proper safety. You didn't lose either of us- so there is no need to fear."_

" _Ok-kay.."_

"I didn't save you… You died, and it's my fault." Riku mumbled while finally sitting himself in the seat directly next to the ink stain formed in the shape of hand upon the wood of the aged pew, cautious fingers dusting over the fading outline of the Pastor's fingers where the black dye had transferred the familiar outline before resting his palm atop the smudge to compare how much he had grown in the last two years of Eraqus's absence.

"You don't _really_ feel that way, do you?"

The soft voice of Sora startled Riku from his thought pattern and into a defensive glare, the azure blue eyes of his best friend brimming with worry as they flicked over his exhausted features and then averted to the ground, the shorter of the two stepping over to give any comfort he could by reaching out to pull Riku into a hug.

"Sorry for scaring you…" Sora mumbled as his arms closed around his best friend's taller form, Riku remaining still only a moment before reciprocating the embrace in silent shame. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You've been really tired lately."

"You didn't scare me. Let's just… Not talk about it, okay?"

Sora retreated from their hug at the statement and looked towards Riku's vibrant eyes, nodding in understanding as his bubbly personality shined back to the surface just as quickly as it had been shadowed now that the task of cheering the taller teen became priority.

"So, you said it was big day earlier?"

"Don't tell me you forgot your own _birthday_ , Sora..."

" _Today's my birthday?!_ "


End file.
